Ottawa woman says new cellphone picked up by stranger at outlet: 'It's upsetting'

An Ottawa woman is raising concerns about the security of mail packages, after she says a package with her cellphone upgrade was picked up by someone else at a Canada Post outlet.

Wanda Thornhill upgraded her cellphone to a Google Pro 8 through Bell Mobility, which is her mobile service provider. She says that the new cellphone was sent by Canada Post.

She received a card saying she can pick it up at the Quickie convenience store located at 4 Lorry Greenberg Dr. But when she showed up to pick up her new cellphone, she was told it’s already been picked up.

"When I arrived with my card and photo ID as required, I was told the item was already picked up.  I followed up with asking about the camera as its recording, the person said only the head office could access it," Thornhill said.

The manager at the Quickie convenience store told CTV News Ottawa on Thursday he asked her to call police and to follow up with Canada Post.

When she called the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), she was told she's not the only one who's going through this issue, she adds. 

"The police told me they received other calls identical to mine. Had I known there was an issue with others not receiving their phone through Canada Post, I would have requested it be sent through another means," she added.

The city’s police service told CTV News Ottawa in a statement Thursday "cellphone mail thefts are a relatively new trend OPS is seeing, although no specific data is available, we can confirm that it is on the rise." 

Thornhill says she ordered the new phone to take pictures at her son’s graduation, which is going to take place in two weeks.

"It's upsetting," she said. "The whole purpose of getting a new phone was for the good quality of photos it takes. I think the public needs to be made aware of this scam that is happening, especially with phones itself being sent through Canada Post."

As per Canada Post's policy, packages that are sent to nearby offices for pickup require a signature, and a piece of ID that confirms the receiver’s name and address. The cellphone theft is leaving Thornhill concerned about the possibility of having her signature "forged."

In a statement to CTV News, Canada Post says the security of the packages is a top priority, noting that the matter is currently being investigated.

"We take these matters and the security of the mail very seriously. Our Security and Investigation team is aware and working with law enforcement. As this is being investigated, it would be inappropriate to comment further. We have also attempted to contact the customer, but unfortunately have not been able to do so with the phone number provided,” reads the statement.